One of my favorite seasonal songs remembered from Primary days; from the October 1955 Children’s Friend —
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MLA: Parshall, Ardis E. ""There's No Such Thing as a Witch!"." Keepapitchin.org, 20 Oct 2010, https://keepapitchinin.org/2010/10/20/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-witch/.
APA: Parshall, A. (2010, Oct 20). "There's No Such Thing as a Witch!". Keepapitchinin.org. https://keepapitchinin.org/2010/10/20/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-witch/
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28 thoughts on ““There’s No Such Thing as a Witch!””
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She’s a witch!
How do you know she’s a witch?
She turned me into a newt!
(everyone stares at the man)
Well, I got better….
(courtesy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
Who’d have thought Keepapitchinin would start pushing the Tea Party Agenda?
I must be getting old, I can remember this song, from my primary days.
You should send a link to Christine O’Donnell (“I am not a witch”), the republican/tea party candidate for Senator in Delaware
There may be no such thing as a witch, but there’s also no shortage of clowns!
Shall we send them in?
I remember singing this, but I didn’t know it was in the Children’s Friend. Amazing.
I remember singing this in primary. I’m 33. Don’t know where that places me on the spectrum of readers here.
This was a family favorite when I was growing up, but I thought our family was the only one it the world who had ever heard of this song.
My wife and I were talking about this very song just the other day, thinking about our upcoming ward Halloween party on the 30th, and wondering where to get the music. Now we have it! Fantastic!
Ardis, now if you would come up with the jack o lantern song that we sang in Primary every year I would love you. This wasn’t in any book, but the song leader would choose a child to come up front to a chalk board and draw jack o lanterns in time with the singing. It had to be drawn in a very precise way, also. Does anyone else remember this?
Back in the 1960s, a Primary children’s choir in Tempe, Arizona recorded an album with twelve songs, one for each month of the year. It was one of our family favorites and we played it over and over. This song was one of them, so it’s very familiar.
Do you know if this was ever published in any of the Children’s Song Books? I was so glad to find it here. I bought a 1930’s (not sure of exact publishing date) Primary Children’s Songbook in hopes of finding this song. Obviously, I went back too far.
Thank you.
Sylvia, I don’t think it ever appeared anywhere but the Children’s Friend. I can’t know for sure, but if it had appeared in a book I think I would have been able to find some trace of it online — it’s too charming NOT to have been listed somewhere! But I couldn’t find anything online except one or two other references to the same Children’s Friend publication.
I’m glad you found it here, too. You should stop by again!
Thank you for putting this on here. No one could remember this song..even older people like me! I thought maybe my Primary was the only one to sing it. Thanks for sharing!
You know, I was 2 years old* when was published in the Friend but my mom must have picked it up when serving (several times) as the Primary pianist – we sang it at home AND in Primary!
OH, I’M SO GLAD I BROUGHT THIS UP WITH FACEBOOK FRIENDS… I still have a really torn up copy from the Children’s Friend, and it warms my heart to know I’m not the only one who loves this song. As a side note, a lady in our ward named Dwan Young (later general president!) was our primary chorister and taught this to us! I’m glad to see this get around! :-}
P.S. Good LUCK in stopping singing this once you start, this will stay with you for DAYS!;-]
Here’s another Children’s Friend song
Witches sailing through the sky
On their broomsticks way up high
Black cats howl as they go by
For this is Halloween
Jack-o-lanterns big and round
On each lamp post can be found
Ghosts and goblins all around
For this is Halloween
Oo-oo Oo-oo This is Halloween
Oo-oo- OO-oo This is Halloween
Let us gather an old sheet
Make a costume nice and neat
Then go walking down the street
For this is Halloween
Another verse I cannot remember then chorus
Oo-oo Oo-oo This is Halloween
Oo-oo OO-oo This is Halloween
I’ll bet anyone that was in primary can start singing this as soon as you see the words
Ardis– I have a zerox of a zerox of the song in Renee’s comment. Let me know if you want an attached file to your email. Marva
Ardis, I was so excited to see this song, I too would love a copy of For this is Halloween if you received one. My mother recently has tried to find old primary songs like these. She also was wondering if they used to publish Christmas songs the same way? Do you happen to know? Thanks.
Molly, I’m very glad to you found this. I don’t have the other Halloween song, but if I do find it or someone sends it, and if I can make a scan of post-able quality, I’ll put it up.
The Children’s Friend, the Juvenile Instructor, and the Relief Society Magazine all published Christmas songs (the number of Christmas pieces they published varied according to the era). If you’ll click on the “Topical Guide” link near the upper left-hand corner of this screen, that will take you to a list of all the posts that have appeared here on Keepapitchinin. Then use your browser’s search function (Ctrl+F, probably) to search for Advent 2009. That will bring up a list of about two dozen pieces of Mormon Christmas music that I posted a few years ago. Some of those appeared in old hymnbooks but not in the current one; others were published in old Church magazines.
Happy hunting. If there is any specific piece of music you hope to find, let me know. Can’t promise I’ll be able to help you, but if I do have it, I’ll post it. (Except L.F. Wheelwright’s “Star Bright” — that one, often requested, is still under copyright and is (or was as of last year) still being actively marketed by a company that would object to my posting it.)
Do you have the sheet music for song #18? Thank you for sharing the music for There’s No Such Thing As a Witch! I remember singing that in Primary long ago…
My granddaughter asked if I knew any Halloween songs last night and I could only remember half of this one. It was one of my favorites when I was in Primary. I loved singing the “Ooooooo-oo-oo-ooooooo-oo-oo-ooooooo” at the end. Now, thanks to Google and Keepapitchinin, I can share it with her in all its glory. You’re a wonder and a marvel, Ardis!
Here are the rest of those song!
http://primarysingingtimewithmatilda.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html
Ardis,
When I saw the title post, the beginning of the song began in my head. I had no idea the post would be this song. I remember singing it too. You and Amy never cease to amaze me in the things you are able to find! Thank you.
I sang this song when I was a kid in Primary in late 50s-very early 60s. 😀 I also remember a song with the lyric, “One little, two little, 3 little witches, fly over haystacks, fly over ditches, fly to the moon without any hitches, Hi Ho! Halloween’s here!”
I am looking for that LP. A children’s choir album that had 12 songs of the seasons or holidays? Can anyone tell me if it is available for purchase?
Thank you!
It certainly is many decades out of print, Sheryl, and not carried by any publisher today. I suppose you’d have to scour sites like eBay or Amazon looking for a used copy.